Manhattan Elite
by leanaticxoxo
Summary: Rachel, the daughter of two very rich men comes to find herself facing a harsh reality when she falls for a tall, polite boy from Ohio. *Hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

**One thing I want to get out of the way: My finals are underway, so I'm busy with that so please please be patient. I have a feeling the next chapter may not be for another few weeks. And another thing, when it comes to companies and all of that in NYC, I'm kind of clueless. I googled, but please don't be critical about it. I'm in nursing school, not business/law school haha. Enjoy! Let me know what you think, I think it has potential :) If this helps, I was kind of thinking gossip girl type lifestyle when writing this…hence the title.**

* * *

Rachel Barbra Berry woke up, slightly startled by the loud alarm that seemed to be right next to her face. She groaned, removed her sleeping mask, and shut off the screeching noise coming from her brand new iphone 5; which did happen to be right next to her face. She groggily brought her eyes to life, letting everything come into view as she looked around at her very large, very pink room. She laid there for a few minutes, before dragging herself out of bed. She couldn't hear anyone outside of her room, and though she lived in a large penthouse in upper New York City, she knew nobody was even home. Glancing at the clock, she had approximately two hours before her first class at New York University began. She was honored to have gotten into NYU, but there was never any doubt in her mind that she wouldn't. Her fathers were acquaintances with basically everyone on the school board. Leroy Berry owned a very large, very popular law firm right in downtown Manhattan whereas Hiram Berry was an accountant for one of the largest companies in the entire country. They were both very successful, and though Rachel didn't like to think of herself as a spoiled, 'gets everything she's ever wanted', kind of girl…well that's just the kind of girl she was. Everyone knew her fathers, and though that had many perks, she knew it came with downfalls. She just hasn't experienced many in her eighteen years of life yet.

When she was finished getting ready, she walked into the kitchen only to find breakfast waiting for her, a note to the left. _'Good luck on your first day! The limo will be picking you and Austin up at 4, please don't be late. Love, dad & papa.' _Rachel set the note back down and rolled her eyes. Austin. Her pretend, but not so pretend boyfriend. Austin Reynolds had basically the same upbringing as she did, his father a business partner to her dads. The idea of them getting together was the highlight of both their parents' life as far as Rachel was concerned. It started in November of their junior year, a drunken socialite party leading to one thing or another, and suddenly they were a couple; everyone around them delighted. It should have ended ions ago, but for the sake of her fathers and Austin's dad's company, they kept the act going. It wasn't so awful, they were friends, but any sort of physical and emotional relationship ended when high school did. Rachel couldn't say she was upset, though she did sometimes wish she had an actual intimate relationship. You know, the way it should be.

Rachel ate her vegan muffin quickly as she looked at the time. Her limo driver would be arriving any minute now. Grabbing some black coffee to go, she hurriedly grabbed her brand new Louis Vuitton backpack; everything already in it planned out from the night before, locked the door behind her and headed for the elevator. The trip itself down took a minute or two, the Berry family residing on the 50th floor. Her limo was waiting and she greeted the driver as she got in, the car driving off into the busy hustle and bustle that was New York City.

And her first day of college was underway.

* * *

Though Rachel was a musical theater major, she was still required to take a number of classes she knew were useless. One of them being 'Introduction to Political Science.' Why political science, she did not know. When she walked in she gasped at how large the room was. The seating was fit for well over a hundred students. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, she took a seat near the far right side of the room, not too far up so she could see the board and what the professor would even be writing at least. That and she felt like if she sat right next to someone it would make it awkward for the both of them. She looked around and watched as people entered, realizing she didn't recognize a single face. That didn't bother her but she suddenly wished she'd coordinated schedules with Austin. At least then she wouldn't feel so strange. However, like his family, he was a business major and she wasn't quite sure what that program entailed.

A few minutes later, she watched as a very tall, dark haired boy walk up, taking the spot right next to her. She breathed in, trying not to look at him. She knew how to act in a room full of adults dressed in the most elegant clothing, but when it came to peers, she was awkward. Or at least she felt that way. She glanced over as he looked at her, smiling politely before pulling out his laptop, notebook and pen. She then gasped lightly, realizing she hadn't even thought of that. As she brought her backpack up into her lap, she heard a light chuckle come from next to her.

She glanced over at the tall boy, her eyebrows lifting as she realized he was looking right at her once more. "Can I help you?" She asked. She instantly regretted it, realizing she probably sounded quite snotty with that kind of demeanor.

He shook his head. "No, no. Sorry." He said, sort of shyly. "That backpack must've cost like, a fortune though."

She glanced down at it and back to him. Just as she was about to reply, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She shifted slightly and gasped once more. She felt like she was doing that a lot. "A-Austin." She said. She couldn't help as a smile formed onto her face. He wasn't exactly the worse looking boy around, but she knew he also wasn't the most handsome either. His blue eyes looked right at her. "I didn't think we had any classes together."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't either, but I didn't exactly think a musical theater major would be taking this class."

"I didn't think they would have to either, but it's a general education requirement." Rachel replied back. She glanced at the boy next to her, who wasn't even looking in her direction anymore.

"Did you know we have to be ready by four?" Austin then asked.

Rachel nodded, as she was reminded once again about later. What was she even going to wear? She hadn't even thought about it. She shook the thought off; she would deal with it later.

"Good, I can't wait." Austin paused. "Dear." He added on awkwardly.

Rachel smiled, and turned back towards the front as class began.

* * *

"Oh class! I forgot to add this. If you look on the back of your syllabus you will see a semester project that I require you all do. It's worth quite a bit of points, so I suggest you don't blow this off even though it isn't due for fifteen more weeks."

Rachel glared down at the paper.

"It's a partner effort, and to make things easy since we've ran out of time, make a new friend, look to the person on your right and there you go. You now have your partner. I will be passing around the sheet next class where you will write down who you'll be working with, and what the project will be on."

Rachel glanced to her right. The tall boy.

"Class dismissed!" The professor yelled as loud shuffling surrounded her throughout the lecture hall.

"I'm Finn." The boy next to her said as she put her things into her bag.

She smiled. "Rachel."

"Nice to meet you, Rachel." He said politely.

Rachel nodded and stood up, turning around. Austin was already gone. She sighed and looked back to Finn. He stood as well, and Rachel looked up. "Wow you are really…"

"….tall I know." He finished. "I get that a lot." He then added with a shrug. "See you Wednesday then Rachel."

And just like that, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of Rachel's first day at NYU went just as she expected it to. Thankfully, her second and last class of the day was Theater 1. She was glad she only had two classes each day of the week; it was something she could really get used to. Though the classes weren't the shortest, it beat sitting in seven different classrooms five days a week.

She hadn't heard from Austin, but that didn't exactly bother her. She would be spending the majority of her evening with him at one of her fathers' dinners' downtown with a bunch of associates and people Rachel probably saw before, but forgot the names of.

They didn't do much in theater, but that might be because it's the first day and most of the time was spent with the teacher explaining everything they would be doing. However, they did do a little introductory thing that some teachers like to do, and she found herself talking in depth with a boy by the name of Kurt Hummel. She found out he was from Ohio, and he was so excited to finally be in New York. Rachel loved his demeanor, and basically everything about him. He seemed to be similar to her. Maybe Kurt would be her first real friend. She had many friends in high school, but sometimes she felt like it was just a challenge with all of them; who was richer, who had the most parties, who had the most expensive clothing on that day, etc. It was exhausting and not worth Rachel's time. Sure Rachel loved the material things she had, but Rachel loved the stage more. She loved Broadway and aspired to one day get to that point and that's all she really cared about. NYU was just one step closer to that dream.

The class flew by, and before Rachel knew it she was back in the limo, headed back to her penthouse to get ready for the dinner she was to attend. She sighed as she looked out the window at all the people walking by, the large buildings flying past her as they drove through the constant stop and go traffic. All she really wanted to do was get her homework done, plan out her day tomorrow, and think about what she was going to do that project on. The project. Her mind instantly drifted to an image of the tall boy that sat next to her. What was his name again? It wasn't a common name. She wracked her brain, feeling awful for forgetting. Why was Nemo popping into her mind? Oh! Finn! The name shot through her like fire. How could she forget that? She smiled slightly when she pictured him standing up. He really was one of the tallest people she'd ever seen. Just then she regretted not asking how to contact him, so they could figure out what they were doing for the project. It wasn't due until the end of the semester sure, but she sort of just wanted to get it out of the way so she could focus on the more important things; like theater. Just then her phone went off.

"Do you have enough time to get ready? My tie is blue." Austin had sent her in a text.

"Yes." Was all she typed, sending it quickly. She sighed. She didn't even want to wear anything blue. Rolling her eyes as the limo pulled up. She thanked the driver quickly before running inside. She only had forty minutes, and she wanted all the time she could get.

Rachel finished with fifteen minutes to spare. Her hair was already slightly curled from the day and she figured it looked fine that way, that in itself saving her a lot of time. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She wore an off-white colored dress that settled just beneath her knees, blue flowers printed all over it. It was a nice day; why not wear a light summer dress? She wore similar colored heels that she hated walking in. Her jewelry complimented her tanned skin nicely, and though she was always terrified of wearing jewelry that expensive, she knew that if it broke it wouldn't be a big deal to anyone. Nothing really was when it came to that. She shrugged, not really caring about her appearance anymore before heading out to sit on the sofa while she waited patiently.

"Here." Her phone read as the screen lit up from a text from Austin.

She sighed and stood up. Here goes nothing. Again.

They arrived downtown by four and she was thankful traffic wasn't too bad and they weren't late. This would please their parents. As they entered the private room in the back of the restaurant they were greeted by a number of faces Rachel has seen before.

"Rachel, darling, you look absolutely gorgeous." Mrs. Reynolds said coming up to her from her left.

"Thank you. As do you." Rachel replied back as they exchanged a hug. She might not have always liked pretending or not pretending to date her son, but she loved his mother. Mrs. Anna Reynolds was the closest thing Rachel had to a mother, knowing she didn't have one herself.

"There's my little girl!" Leroy said fondly as he walked up to her, Hiram at his side, the both of them embracing her as well. "And how did your first day at NYU go?" They asked, moving the bangs that were in her eyes back towards her ears.

"Fine." She replied with a smile. Before she could say any more, Leroy was already off talking to someone else who just entered the room, dragging Hiram right along with him.

She looked around for Austin, finding him over towards the drinks. She walked up, grabbing a cup for herself. "Thanks for offering me one, boyfriend." She said sarcastically.

He looked at her and smiled. "I was going to get you one you know."

"Yeah. Uh huh." She said as she took a sip of what had to be champagne. Getting herself slightly woozy tended to be the plan when it came to surviving things like this. She never understood why someone her age was just allowed to drink champagne and wine in public, but nobody ever questioned it. Ever.

Rachel walked around alongside Austin, greeting and making small talk with a lot of older people. She looked around, disappointed there was not a single human being besides Austin that was even close to her age.

She sat down quietly, knowing soon her father would announce that dinner would be arriving. She looked at the time on her phone. Five minutes. She was no stranger to events like this. They were strictly for business; and Rachel knew that. The only reason they even wanted her to be here was that it looked good if the whole family was involved. But Rachel had no idea what anybody was even talking about. She would be listening in to a group of people, and they would all laugh at someone's expense over some lousy business joke. It was foreign to Rachel, regardless of how many times she had been dragged into things like this.

"If everyone would like to sit, supper is about to make its way in." She heard Mr. Reynolds say as people sat down. Austin sat next to her, leaning into her.

"Do you see that guy?" he asked into her ear quietly.

She looked at him and soon followed his gaze to an older gentleman who was looking down at the empty plate in front of him farther down the table. She nodded at Austin.

"He works with my dad. His name is Sam. He's bitter right now over this."

"Why?" Rachel asked curiously.

"He's been waiting for my father to croak for years. He thinks if that happens, that he will be the new CEO."

"And how do you know that?" Rachel asked.

"Just look at him." Austin replied with a shrug.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "What an abrupt and rude judgment of character." She muttered as waiters began to come into the room; dishes of pasta and salads in their hands.

Rachel took a sip of champagne as she looked across the table. Her eyes widened and she began to choke on her champagne as she removed the glass. Him. And though he wasn't looking in her direction, she knew soon he would be. She couldn't stop coughing.

"Rachel." Austin said quietly, looking almost embarrassed by her coughing that loudly.

She stood up and put her napkin down. "Excuse me." She croaked out before heading out of there and towards the restroom, feeling eyes on her as she exited.

When she calmed herself, she looked in the mirror that hung above the sink, taking a deep breath. "Relax, Rachel." She said. "Put on your best acting face. Besides, that's what you do best." She said, exhaling. Maintaining her posture, she walked out of the restroom and towards the room. As she opened the curtain she stopped abruptly, basically running into the one person she didn't want to notice her.

"Sorry." He said looking down at her, a grin forming on his face. "Oh, hey what do you know? It's Louis Vuitton backpack girl."

"F-Finn." She said quietly, looking around her. Nobody was paying attention. "My name is Rachel."

"I know. That's some getup by the way." He noted, looking her up and down.

She nodded. "If you would just excuse me…"

"I should've guessed from that backpack of yours that you came from a family like that." He said abruptly, throwing her off guard.

"What does that mean?" She asked defensively, crossing her arms, looking up at him.

He shrugged. "Nothing." He said with a coy smirk on his face.

"Uh huh." She said sarcastically.

"And I should've known you were dating that blonde dude that tapped you on the shoulder."

Rachel sighed deeply. "You don't understand. You barely even know me."

"Maybe not." Finn said. He stopped, his brows furrowing at the sight of the tiny girl being antsy in front of him. "Am I annoying you?"

"Sort of." Rachel admitted. She looked up at him, his hazel brown eyes piercing down at her. Her heart stopped for a minute. She never really looked at him the way she was until now. She took him in, his brown hair slightly messy atop his head, his eyes, nose, mouth, and his broad shoulders underneath this black uniform. He really was quite….handsome.

"Sorry miss." He said.

"Finn!" She heard from behind him.

"Gotta run." He said before shifting away from her, back into the kitchen where he was no longer seen.

She regained her composure, her glance returning away from the kitchen as she pulled the curtain back, entering the room once more.

"Everything okay babe?" Austin asked as she sat down.

She nodded and smiled at him before taking her first few bites of salad. Now that she knew Finn would be in and out, this is the last place she wanted to be.

* * *

**A/N: Let me know what you think! Feedback is much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All grammatical errors are mine! Also, thank you to those who are reviewing it means a lot to me!**

* * *

Rachel climbed into her large bed by eleven that night. She was tired, and she knew she had to be up bright and early tomorrow for her day of classes. Why she scheduled early morning classes, she would never know. In high school she was used to being there close to 7:30. Nowadays, a class at eight just seemed ridiculous, and she hadn't even experienced it yet. Next semester, she wasn't doing that that's for sure. She closed her eyes, as Finn's face floated through her mind. What the hell was it about that man? She already knew what he thought of her, she could tell by his tone when they spoke. He saw her as no more than a spoiled, rich, brat. The taunting, whether it be a joke or not, about the back pack and her outfit tonight had been more than enough proof to affirm his opinions on her. He had been in and out of the room just like she thought he would be for the remaining few hours that they were all at the restaurant. She tried to avoid directing her glance towards him but that proved useless. She would catch herself following him with her eyes as he did things about the room, never once looking back at her thankfully. Austin also never seemed to notice, but then again when did he actually pay much attention to her?

Rachel had wanted to say something to Finn, but she knew what people would think. Why was she talking to the waiter? How did she know him? Thankfully, though she wasn't exactly fond of it, the idea never presented itself anyway. If she'd try leaving Austin's side, someone else would approach her and by the time she finished making small talk with them, Finn would either be gone, or be talking to a fellow employee. By then, Austin was already back at her side. As she drifted off to sleep, she knew one thing was for sure. She just wanted it to be Wednesday at eleven in the morning.

* * *

"Good Morning, star." Hiram said as Rachel headed into the kitchen around seven the next morning. She was already tired; her restless sleep not doing much in the way of making her feel refreshed. This was going to be a long semester.

"Morning" She said quietly to her papa.

"Did you have a good time last night?"

Rachel shrugged. "Can't say it was the highlight of my life, but I was content. It was nice though, don't get me wrong. Everything was really lovely."

Hiram nodded in content at her answer. She wasn't going to lie to him and say it was amazing, but she didn't want to make him feel awful for forcing her to be there either. She opened a cupboard, grabbing a K cup of black coffee out before looking directly down at the machine in front of her. She needed coffee like she needed air right now.

"May I ask you, who that very tall waiter was?" Hiram asked casually.

Rachel looked up from the Keurig machine, staring directly at the cupboard, her eyes wide. Slowly, she turned around to face her father. "I don't know." She lied. "Which one?" She added, just for extra effect.

Hiram shrugged. "He seemed very interested in my daughter I can tell you that." He said, as he flipped a page of the New York Times.

"He did?" She said, a hopeful tone in her voice before falling back to quiet. She really hoped he wasn't that observant when it came to her. "I didn't notice, nor do I know which waiter you're even talking about." Rachel said before putting her k cup in the top of the machine, hitting the button.

Hiram smiled. "He caught glimpses of you here and there. You know I just want to protect my little girl. Make sure she has the best of the best."

"I know that." Rachel said slowly.

"And that's what Austin is. You two are so lovely together."

Rachel nodded in agreement, though she knew the last thing she agreed on was something like that. Rachel finished her coffee off with a hint of rice milk before putting it in a thermos to go. "Well I better get going." She didn't want to hang around and talk about her and Austin's compatibility any longer. It was a topic she knew she had a short temper with.

"How are you getting to campus, dear?"

Rachel shrugged. "I was just going to walk."

Hiram laughed. "Oh don't be ridiculous. I'll have the driver take you before he takes me to work."

"Papa that's really not necessary."

"Of course it is." He insisted.

'Of course it is. Nothing was to over the top for the Berry's' Rachel thought sarcastically.

"Papa?" she asked curiously.

"Yes?"

"Can I switch this class? I really don't think I'd like to be there at eight AM every Tuesday and Thursday."

Hiram chuckled. "I had a feeling this would come. I just didn't know it would be so soon. Sure, star. Whatever you'd like to do, I know you'll take care of it."

Rachel smiled in contentment. "Well if you're taking me, we really should get going."

"I concur." Hiram finalized.

* * *

Rachel didn't see Finn that day. She wasn't exactly surprised, but she was lying if she said she wasn't hopeful. The same question still ran through her mind. What was it about him? Why did she keep thinking about him? She didn't even know him. And it was hardly like Rachel Barbra Berry to judge someone purely based off of looks. She knew this because look at her. She was the typical Jewish girl, large nose and all. It used to bother her when she was little, but over time she adapted and learned to love it. Besides, if she changed it there was a chance it would screw up her voice. That was a chance she was absolutely not willing to risk.

"Rachel!" She heard from behind her as she walked across campus, headed for the limo she knew would be waiting for her.

She spun around and smiled as Kurt ran up to her. "Hey pretty." He said with a wide smile.

Rachel grinned. "Kurt." She said. "What's up?"

"I'm glad I ran into you, actually. I have a quick question."

"Shoot." She said.

"Well you know how we have to do that skit thing?"

Rachel nodded. For theater, they had to do a short ten minute skit from a show of their choice and were graded on the acting.

"Well what about Wicked? I mean, I want to let you throw some ideas around too, but wouldn't Wicked be lovely? Picture it. You can be Elphaba and I can be Guy-Linda. Get it?"

Rachel laughed. She loved Wicked. She had seen it so many times growing up on Broadway. "Why not?" she said with a smile. She hadn't given their theater project much thought. I mean they only got the assignment yesterday, but her mind was very much preoccupied…with other things.

Kurt jumped up and down with excitement before quickly embracing her. "Oh my goodness, this is going to be wonderful! I'll talk to you more tomorrow in class!" He said. "I've got to head back now, I promised my brother I'd arrange the tickets home for Labor Day." He explained. "He's kind of an idiot when it comes to those things. Bye Rachel!"

She smiled and watched him go before turning around, heading back towards the car.

* * *

"Good morning." Rachel heard from her left. She looked up only to find Austin smiling down at her. Where was Finn? Was he not going to sit next to her just so he wouldn't have to be her partner anymore? I mean, there was still time to change. And why would he want to even think about being partners with a spoiled brat like herself? Relax Rachel, there's still ten minutes until class begins.

"Hey." She said as she watched him climb in the free seat next to her as he jumped up a row to sit behind her.

"Too cool to sit next to me?" She asked him, turning to face him.

"Well, my partner is that girl over there." He said pointing to a blonde who was chatting away with a few other people. "And I happen to think she's hot."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Of course he did. "Oh, well that's cool. Boyfriend." She said sternly.

Austin laughed. "Oh come on Rachel."

"Don't tell me to 'come on.'" She said angrily. "As far as I'm concerned we haven't even officially broken up, so I don't think you should even be saying things like-"

"Hey." She then heard from next to her.

"Don't interrupt me." She said angrily, before even realizing it was Finn. "Oh…oh I'm so sorry." She said instantly before looking back at Austin.

"Don't say things like that to me." She said quietly before turning her back to him.

"I didn't mean to yell." She said to Finn quietly. She didn't want Austin to overhear.

"It's cool." He said nonchalantly. "Blondie up there giving you a hard time I assume?" He then asked, looking at her.

Rachel shrugged. "I guess so."

"Should I punch him?"

"What?" Rachel said with a gasp, her eyes wide.

Finn laughed. "I'm just messing. I'm sure it's just some rich people problems or something."

Rachel looked at him. "Why do you judge me like that?"

"Like what? As a rich kid?" Finn said with a snort. "Rachel, please."

Rachel huffed as the professor began to talk. Deep down she knew that Finn had a point; she just didn't want to be wrong.

Towards the end of class, she got handed the project sign up paper from a girl sitting a few seats down from her. She smiled and placed it between her and Finn. Though the professor was still talking, she didn't care. "Any ideas?" she whispered.

Finn leaned into her and looked down at the paper. "Not a clue."

"Are you serious?" She said, looking up at him.

He smiled, a half grin forming on his face. Rachel didn't even realize it until now, and well….she would be lying to herself if she didn't find that adorable. "I'm sorry, did you have any?"

"Well…no."

"Then there you go. Just put your name there, and I'll put mine down and on Monday we will go tell him. I'm sure he won't care."

"Finn, just think of something now." Rachel said.

"Why?"

"I said do it." Rachel demanded.

Finn looked at her, his eyes wide. "Okay uhhh…Ohio."

"Ohio?" Rachel said. Just then she heard the sound of a clearing throat come from behind her. Annoyed, she turned her head and looked Austin right in the eye.

He put his finger to his mouth with a smile, motioning for her to be quiet jokingly. Rachel simply rolled her eyes before looking back at Finn.

She scribbled her name down before handing the sheet to Finn. She didn't want to tolerate this any longer; especially Austin.

When class was dismissed she gathered her things quickly, ignoring everyone and everything around her as she began to head towards her left. She would just take the long way out of the classroom.

"Rachel. Hey!" She heard.

She turned, Finn standing up out of seat. "Uhhh hello? Don't you think maybe we should discuss what we're doing this thing on?"

"I don't have any ideas right now." She said as she crossed her arms, her backpack clinging to her back tightly.

"That's probably why we should figure them out. When's your next class?"

"Two." She said.

"Well good, I don't have anything until this evening so how about you and I figure this out over some lunch." Finn said.

"Are you asking me out?" Rachel blurted out.

Finn's brows furrowed. "N-no…."

"Jokes." She said, holding her hands out in surrender. "But fine, if we must." She walked back towards Finn's direction, walking past him as she led the way out.

* * *

Austin, overhearing the entire conversation watched the two walk out, his eyes glaring into that Finn guys back until they were out of sight. He knew he recognized him from somewhere; that restaurant. He was the tall guy that had been eyeing Rachel all night, and he knew she was doing the same, though he chose not to acknowledge it. He already didn't like him.

* * *

**A/N: feedback! And to those saying they weren't sure if they like Austin...I can't say i'm too fond of him either!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I reposted this because I noticed some errors when I went to look back at it...enjoy!**

* * *

"Why did you say Ohio?" Rachel asked as she sat across from Finn at the Chipotle on East 8th street near campus. When Finn posed the idea to her, he made constant jokes to her about how she had never heard of it or eaten it before. By repeating how much she was missing out, she finally caved in.

"How do you not eat meat and shit?" Finn asked with his mouth full of food.

"Gross. Don't talk with your mouth full." Rachel said disgustingly, looking away for just a split second.

Finn nodded and kept eating before swallowing. "Answer me."

"Why don't you answer me?" She challenged right back.

"What, about Ohio?" Finn said with a light laugh. He shrugged. "I don't know, it was a spur of the moment thing. You were sort of rushing the hell out of me."

"Stop swearing."

"Damn woman." He said, shaking his head. "Darn, darn I meant to say. Sorry." He said holding both of his hands up in a 'please don't hurt me' type manner. This made Rachel smile lightly.

"You're forgiven." She said, getting that very adorable half side grin of Finn's to come out. That's a smile she definitely wouldn't mind seeing more often. "I'm vegan because I choose to be. I don't believe in killing animals just to satisfy our stomachs. There are much healthier options on Earth without having to be cruel."

Finn nodded. "Suit yourself; you only make things more difficult for yourself. Plus, being vegan means you're sort of missing out on the greatness that is this place."

Rachel looked down at her bowl. It was filled with rice, vegetables, black beans, lettuce and guacamole. It looked pretty good to her. "I don't see how being vegan automatically means I'm missing out."

"No chicken, cheese or sour cream. The like three best things about this place."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she took a bite. Her eyes widened as she laughed. How has she never had this before? It was delicious.

"See?" Finn asked. He smiled at her laugh. It was loud, but it fit her. And it was adorable.

Rachel smiled. "Alright, alright. You were right." She said before taking a few more bites.

"Okay, so this project….What the hell are we even supposed to do anyway?" He asked.

Rachel looked at him with dark eyes before he apologized for swearing. "It's just a paper. I don't really understand why it's even a group effort."

"To make it easier?" Finn said before taking a large bite out of his burrito.

"You eat like a monster." Rachel noted before looking back towards the outline she had pulled out before she sat down.

"I'm a growing boy." He said sarcastically. "Why not just stick with Ohio? We can just compare the way their government, or however many people are in the House, Senate, whatever….and we can compare it to New York."

"Why Ohio?" Rachel asked.

"I'm from there."

"You're from Ohio? Strange."

"Why is that strange, Louis Vuitton?"

Rachel shrugged. "Everybody I've met so far, well just you and one other person, is from there."

"Really? Odd coincidence I guess." Finn said, his mouth full once more.

Rachel nodded. "Kurt was his name."

"Last name Hummel?" Finn asked nonchalantly before taking a sip of his soda.

"How did you know that?" She asked incredulously.

"Well Rachel, it seems like you met my step brother."

"Are you serious?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide. Finn was the brother Kurt was talking about? Rachel contemplated this for a second. It made sense; they didn't need to look alike if they were step siblings.

Finn nodded with his mouth full. She waited patiently for him to swallow. "Yeah, we came here together. He's always wanted to be in the city. He's very big into fashion, music, acting…all of that."

"He told me." Rachel said contently.

"So what do you say? Sound good or what?" Finn asked.

"It's a fine idea. I just want to get it out of the way."

"Well let's do that then." Finn said, looking at her with a side grin. "Saturday?"

"Saturday, really?"

"Well not this Saturday, I'm going home for Labor Day. And when I get back I'll have some really awesome information from an inside source on this paper."

Rachel shrugged. "We will plan a day when you get back. But…" Rachel paused with a grin. "What do you mean by that?"

Finn shrugged as well. "Let's just say…my stepfather, he works in congress."

"Seriously?" Rachel's mouth hung agape as she looked at him.

Finn nodded. "Why do you act so surprised? He got elected my senior year; he goes back and forth between Washington and Ohio. He should be home, since its Labor Day and all…"

Rachel smiled. "I just wouldn't have guessed that."

Finn looked at her. "Of course you wouldn't have."

Rachel frowned and looked down.

"So how long do you have?" He said lightly after what seemed like years of silence.

"Until my next class?" She glanced down at her phone just as it began to light up. "About an….hour. Excuse me." She said standing up quickly.

"Hello?"

"Rach, where are you?" Austin asked from the other line.

"I'm….i'm at lunch. Why, is everything okay?"

"We were supposed to meet up for lunch today, remember?" He asked with desperation in his voice.

"N-no….why?"

"Press."

"Are you kidding me?" Rachel said.

"No Rachel, where are you? I'm coming now."

"I-I'm about to head to theater. I'm sorry, I really had no idea. Can't this be rescheduled?" She turned her head back and glanced at Finn whose head was down, looking at the paper she had pulled out.

"No" Austin said firmly. "Tell me where you are."

"Austin…"

"Tell me." He repeated.

"I'm at…Chipotle. O-on East 8th…" She said finally.

"I'll be there in five, be ready." Click.

She headed quickly back to the table. If she was seen with Finn, Austin would definitely throw a fit.

"I have to go." She said abruptly.

"What, why? You said you had time."

"I thought I did." Rachel said. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, and she wasn't going to hide it.

"Well, alright." Finn said, standing up. "But you hardly even ate."

"I know. I'll just….take it to go I guess." She looked around to make sure Austin wasn't there just quite yet. Be rational, Rachel. It's only been about thirty seconds.

"Alright, well I'll grab you a top so you can gather up your stuff…" Finn said slowly, walking away. She knew he was curious, and she desperately wanted to explain it to him, but he wouldn't understand. And for some reason, she knew that she would feel awful if she told him she was rushing him away because of Austin.

She thanked him when he handed her the aluminum top. She put it on and stood up, Finn also standing, waiting for her. "Thank you."

"No problem." Finn said with a shrug.

"Well…have fun at home this weekend." Rachel said shyly. She looked up at him, and smiled. He had to be roughly a foot taller than her. The thought of just being in his arms made her blush.

"Yeah….you too." Finn said awkwardly, looking back down at her. Rachel studied him, as he continued to look down at her, his eyes a mix of disappointment and contentment. "Well…see ya around, Rachel." He said before walking away from her, without looking back.

"Bye" she said quietly under her breath. She felt terrible, and she couldn't even figure out why. They were merely discussing a project. That was all. 'Shake it off, Rachel.' She walked outside, and looked around, not seeing Finn anywhere. Exhaling, she headed back towards the building when she heard Austin's voice.

"Rach!" He said, running up to her. He embraced her immediately, and she was a little thrown off by it.

"Oh…hi." She said, returning the hug before quickly pulling away. "What's with this press thing? Not to be rude, but I just want to get this out of way. I have some theater project stuff I have to take care of."

"Oh yeah…about that…" he paused, looking down at her.

"What?" Rachel asked sternly, studying Austin's expression as her face hardened, her eyes squinting at him in annoyance.

"I sort of…got the days confused."

"Are you kidding me, Austin?" Rachel said louder. "You made me hurry up and rush around for nothing?" She was exasperated. She knew she was acting over-the-top angry towards him, but she didn't even care anymore.

"You didn't have to rush." Austin said. "Why would you have to?"

Rachel shrugged. She wasn't about to tell him about Finn. Part of her questioned whether or not he knew already or not anyway. "Because, I don't know if you'd want to do that here, or go somewhere you know…a little more upscale."

"Oh." Austin shrugged. "Well everyone knows we go to NYU. It would've been fine here."

Rachel nodded and looked around as she shook her head. "Okay, well…I'm going to get going then. Let me know when the rescheduling is, and this time could you at least make sure it's the right date, please?" She asked, adding the please onto the end of the sentence a little too sarcastically.

"Alright. Do you want me to walk you to class? Or do you want to go get lunch?" Austin asked, following her as she began to walk away.

"No, Austin that's okay. But I appreciate the offer." Her voice sounded monotone as she held up her leftovers to show him.

"Okay, well I'll call you later babe." He said, grabbing her hand to give it a quick kiss before heading in the opposite direction.

Yeah, that wasn't annoying at all. Rachel sighed and kept going, not looking back.

* * *

"I know you did that on purpose." Finn said approaching Austin once he saw Rachel disappear from view. He knew when he walked out of the building and saw Austin that he was up to something. Casually hanging out around the corner, Finn heard the entire conversation. When Rachel walked away it was thankfully in the other direction or else she would've noticed him. Part of him actually wished she would have.

Austin looked up. "Oh…hey waiter dude. You came out of nowhere."

"Don't hey waiter dude me." Finn said angrily. "Admit it."

"Admit what?"

"You did that shit on purpose." Finn gritted through his teeth.

"I don't know what you're talking about dude."

"You knew I was at lunch with her, didn't you?"

Austin shrugged. "What's that have to do with anything? Besides it's not like you two were quiet about it in class, she was a ways down from you at that point."

"So you made up that bullshit because it made you mad."

Austin stopped and looked at him. "What's it to you? That's my girlfriend."

"Yeah, and? You don't act like it much."

"How the hell would you know what I do or don't do with Rachel?" Austin challenged, looking right up at Finn.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I overheard that conversation from class earlier. About that hot partner of yours."

Austin laughed. "So what? She knows I care about her."

"Do you really?" Finn challenged back.

Austin shook his head. "Dude, you don't know anything. Just back off alright?"

Finn shrugged. "No."

"No?"

"No. I know you rich type don't really hear that word much. But Rachel interests me, and no I'm not going to back off."

"What, you think you're better for her than I am?"

"I don't think. I know." Finn said with a smirk.

"Right. You and what to offer?"

Finn stopped. He was right in that aspect. He was just a broke college student from Ohio trying to make it in this huge city by working part time at an Italian restaurant. But he wouldn't let this over privileged snob stop him. He had been interested in Rachel from the moment he saw her. He may not have gone into super stalker mode, but he had been really unusually excited when he found out he had to work with her. Not to mention when she was in that blue and white dress, his heart would beat harder a few extra times every time he glanced in her direction. It wasn't just physical, when she spoke she sounded confident. He liked that. Sure she said things here and there that gave it away that she was also one of those overly privileged types but it didn't bother him. It was actually kind of cute. And from the look of things the other night, she didn't even seem all that into Austin. It made him wonder if it was just an act.

Finn snapped back into reality and shook his head at Austin. "I'll think of that later. For now, don't worry about it."

Austin snorted. "Alright, well take care man. "He said, patting Finn on the upper arm before walking away.

Finn watched him go in disgust. He wasn't too worried about Austin. After all, he was raised better than that.

* * *

**A/N: So? Good? Bad? Okay? Just kind of freewriting this all as I go...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: For this story to make any type of progress, I had to fast forward through time a bit…at least that's what I wanted to do. It works.**

* * *

**One Month Later **

Fall in New York City was arriving, and Rachel absolutely loved this time of year. She loved spending time in Central Park in general, but more so in the fall. Whether she was taking a brisk jog around, or just walking, the sound of crunching leaves at her feet was always one of her favorite sounds. School was going fine for her, and she spoke to Finn often. When Finn returned from Ohio after Labor Day, he was right. Much to her disbelief, he had kept his word, returning back to New York with plenty of information to get the project finished far ahead of the due date. She went over to his dorm a few Saturday's after. She reminisced as she jogged through the park that really early fall morning. What better way to start off the day, and week, than with a run.

_ "Hey!" Rachel said happily as he opened the dorm door._

_ "Hi." He said smiling down at her. "I'd show you around, but you can kind of….see it all from here. But don't worry; it's not a complete dump! You'd never guess, but I pay really good money to live here."_

_ Rachel giggled as she headed right for his desk, taking a seat in his desk chair. "Well, this chair is rather comfortable."_

_ Finn nodded. "Like I said, I paid good money. You see Louis Vuitton, you shouldn't be so quick to judge."_

_ "I don't judge!" She said._

_ Finn titled his head, looking at her with his eyebrows raised._

_ "I don't._

_ Finn nodded as he grinned. She knew he didn't believe her, but that was alright. She would prove him wrong eventually. "Alright, shall we get down to business then? Do you have some super fancy thing to attend tonight?"_

_ Rachel shook her head. "No. Don't be so quick to judge, Finn…" She said before laughing. She always loved using people's own words against them._

_ "Speaking of judging…can I ask you a quick question?"_

_ "Anything." Rachel said as she bent over the side of the chair to open up her bag, taking out her school things in the process._

_ "How protective is that boyfriend of yours?" He asked, looking directly at her, into her eyes if she weren't mistaken._

_ "Who, Austin?" Rachel asked as she shrugged lightly as she said his name. "Not very. Don't worry, he won't have a problem that I'm here."_

_ "No, not that…" Finn said, looking away for a brief moment before making eye contact with her once more. As she glanced into Finn's eyes, she felt a wave of shyness flood over her as she tried her hardest not to blush. She had a feeling that wasn't working out to well, but she couldn't tell otherwise. "I just…you know that day at Chipotle?"_

_ Rachel nodded._

_ "I think he lied about having to meet you."_

_ "How did you know he…."_

_ "Oh, I saw him when I left." Finn said in a matter of fact tone as he cut her off. "I had a feeling he kind of did that on purpose y'know, because you were with me and…" Finn shrugged. "I figure it upset him or something."_

_ Rachel shrugged. "I had a hunch but I let it go. He really isn't that bad Finn, I promise."_

_ Finn let out a sarcastic sounding snort. "Right. Well, he seems like a complete douche if you ask me."_

_ Rachel let out an exasperated sigh. "I didn't ask you. Now can we just work on this thing? I can't really stay out late." Rachel added, annoyed. _

_ "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I was just curious. It was sort of bothering me since the day it happened. I apologize, for real. I didn't mean to make it a big deal."_

_ "It's alright." Rachel said automatically. She didn't want to make Finn upset or angry or anything like that. Especially knowing she would be the reason. _

"_I was out of line; I didn't mean to call him that." Finn then added._

_She smiled. "Seriously, it's okay." Rachel said once more reassuringly. Deep down she knew it was the truth anyway._

_ When Finn gave her a little half grin, she knew everything was fine once more._

_Despite their little conversation about Austin, the rest of the evening went well, even though she didn't end up staying long just as she had anticipated. She hadn't exactly told her father's where she was going, and she felt awful for lying to them. She hardly ever lied to them in her life; especially about where she was. She may not have given them every detail about what happened when she went to those places, but did any teenager actually do that?_

Now here she was, one month later. She had kind of hoped something more would've happened by now, but it hadn't. She had his number, but she was always terrified of texting him and sounding too….clingy. She over thought everything usually, but she had never experienced that kind of overwhelming feeling when it came to a guy before. And besides, there was still Austin. Finn knew they were technically together, obviously, but he really had no idea of the truth. As much as she wanted to tell him in hopes of something more arising out of it, there was never an opportune time. At least not yet. Not that she attempted to find a way much either. She stopped in her tracks, breathing hard as she walked slowly, letting her heart rate decrease and her respirations return to normal. Not a bad workout. Besides, it's just what she needed to attempt to get her thoughts straight. It semi helped.

* * *

"Rachel." She heard the familiar voice as he took his seat next to her.

"Finn Hudson." She said simply, not looking at him.

"What's up Louis?"

"You know, a little bit of this and that. Real exciting stuff if you can't tell." She said sarcastically as he laughed lightly. "Are you ever going to stop calling me Louis?"

"Nah. But hey, I don't really want to interrupt you since you're so busy and all at this moment but while Sir Blonde Douchington isn't around, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead. I must say, you're very creative in the nickname department, by the way."

Finn smiled and looked at her. "I guess so. And to think I thought you'd get pissed at me for calling him that." He paused, as Rachel shrugged nonchalantly. He took a deep breath as she waited patiently. "So…do you wanna like….like hang out or something? Kinda like last time, except minus the studying? I mean…unless you want to study or something."

Rachel felt butterflies in her stomach when she realized how shy he had gotten. It almost made her blush. "Well gee, let me see if I can fit you in. I'm a very busy woman you know." She said sarcastically. "You know us rich people and our super busy schedule. Which did I mention to you that I myself am completely broke?" She said, flashing him a smile.

"No. Are you really? I take it back. I have no interest in hanging out with you then." Finn said jokingly back as they both exchanged a laugh.

"But yes, Finn. That sounds great."

"Really?" he asked as his voice uplifted. He was grinning sheepishly. It was adorable, but then again, what part of him did Rachel not find adorable? She had yet to find anything.

"Yeah….?" Rachel said in a questioning tone. "Really."

"Awesome. I'll text you then."

"Great." She said just as Austin walked in. They both dropped the conversation immediately.

* * *

Rachel got ready that Saturday night, hardly able to contain her excitement as she walked about her room, trying to pick out the perfect outfit.

_'Dress nice….not too nice, but like…casual nice….or something.'_ Finn had sent her in a text earlier that day. She could almost hear the awkwardness in his voice as if he were standing right over her, and it made her smile as she read it. She really had no idea what it meant, but she figured a pair of skinny jeans, a nice top and some heels wouldn't hurt.

"How do I look?" She said as she walked out and into the study where her father sat at his large desk. Hiram was working, despite it being a Saturday night.

Leroy looked up and smiled. "Fine dear. Why?" He said before looking down once more.

"Just going out."

"With Austin?"

"Uh….yeah." Rachel said with a shrug. "Who else?"

Leroy smiled. "Well you two have fun, don't be home too late now."

Rachel nodded as she walked out of the study. Her father seemed to constantly be too busy to even seem remotely interested in her life. Not that it bothered her much; it's been going on since she could remember. However, they were supportive and attended things she would ask them too; like a high school theater production or two, her graduation and things like that. Other than that, when she spoke to them it was usually quick, to the point, and that's it for a few hours. Rarely did they sit down and have an actual family dinner. It was almost sort of corrupt, but it was New York. Everyone cared about their careers in New York; sometimes even more than family. Rachel knew they loved her despite all of that though and that's really all that mattered.

She grabbed her things, said goodbye and headed out. The fact that she just lied to her father was the last thing on her mind at this minute.

* * *

"Hello?" She heard Finn's husky voice in her ear. She smiled instantly.

"I'm uh…outside the building." She said looking up.

"Oh alright. Be right there." He said, hanging up. She needed an identification card with the bar on it to get inside the building. Rachel smiled. At least it made Finn slightly safer inside this large building filled with college students.

Rachel looked around. It really wasn't that bad of a place. Yes, it was on campus but he really did have a good view probably, though she didn't look out the window last time she was there; and he probably didn't see much other than other buildings the same size. There really wasn't anything wrong with that, I mean unless he wasn't into that kind of environment. Why else would he have come here from Ohio though?

"Hey" she heard as she spun around, her train of thought directed back to the present.

"Hello" She said with a smile as she looked up at Finn. He looked adorable to her; even in something as simple as a pair of jeans and the long sleeve navy blue and white plaid shirt she's seen him wear a few times before.

"You look good." He said quietly.

Rachel laughed lightly. "Hey so do you!"

"Yeah, but I'm not wearing five thousand dollar heels."

"They aren't five thousand dollars." Rachel said as she rolled her eyes before walking ahead of him to enter the building. "Why would I wear something that expensive?"

Finn looked at her as he pressed the up button on the elevator. "Why wouldn't you?"

Rachel shrugged. "That's a little much…"

"I'm shocked. Nothing is too expensive for the family Berry."

"Shut up, Finn." Rachel said jokingly as they both entered the elevator. "So is your roommate around this time?"

Finn shook his head as the elevator door closed. "No, he's actually with his girlfriend but….well, do you want to meet him tonight?"

Rachel shrugged as they walked out onto his floor. "Are they coming back later?" She asked lightly.

"No. There's just…this party. And he will be there. At least I think he will be."

"Oh, a party?" Rachel said, thinking it over. She had kind of hoped that this night was filled with a fancy dinner, maybe a show, just the two of them. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was possible wasn't it? At least that's what she told herself so she didn't have to admit that she wanted to be selfish and have him all to herself for the night.

"Yeah. I mean, if you don't want to go we don't have to. It was just an option."

Rachel smiled as she walked into the familiar small room that was his. "No, no. If you want to, then why not. I'm not opposed."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked. "Seriously, it's up to you."

"I'm sure, Finn."

"Are you positive?" Finn asked seriously once more.

"Finn!" Rachel cried out with a light laugh. "I swear."

"Alright then." He said with a shrug.

"Besides, I've never even been to like a, real party."

"Elaborate, Louis" Finn said, sitting on the bed, motioning for her to come sit by him. She did.

"I mean, I always have to go to these fancy things, like what you saw that one night. Never a party with people my own age."

"Not even in high school?"

Rachel shrugged. "It was a private school, and yeah, there were some parties but they weren't like…normal. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Not at all." Finn said with a chuckle.

"They were fancier than a high school party should've been. I always had a curfew, not that my dad's probably would have paid much attention if I didn't follow them."

Finn's brows furrowed. "What, they don't pay attention to you?"

Rachel smiled. "Can we talk about that another time?"

"Sure. But just reassure me that you're not like abused or neglected. They don't like starve you do they? Is that why you're so tiny?" Finn joked with a smile.

"No, Finn. Don't be ridiculous." Rachel said, looking down at her feet.

"Well….alright then. Hey cheer up! Rachel Berry, you're about to experience your first real party! Compliments of me though, don't forget that."

"I won't. Besides, how could I forget the person who showed me what it was like to be normal for a night?"

Finn looked into her eyes and smiled. "Exactly."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: All errors are mine! Enjoy :) I probably won't get the next chapter up until after Christmas.**

* * *

It was her first real college party. Finally. It wasn't elegant, there were no older people, no fancy glasses, and she wasn't dressed up. It was just…normal. And she was loving every minute of it. As she looked around, she didn't recognize anybody and that was to be assumed. Not that it was bad; she just never actually realized how shy and awkward she felt around large groups of people her age until now.

"Here" Finn said, handing her a red solo cup. Rachel studied the inside contents. "What is it?"

"Don't ask, just try it."

Rachel smiled and took a large gulp, instantly stopping to cough.

"Slow down, killer." Finn said with a smile.

"What is it?" She repeated once more.

"UV blue mixed with sprite. I didn't want to overload you; I assume you've never even had this before."

Rachel shook her head. He was right. "It's good though, I guess."

"Well, don't down it. You'd be wasted in no time." He said. "And I don't have intentions of getting you so drunk you can't move, Louis."

Rachel nodded in agreement as he took her hand. "Come with me."

As she walked around, people greeted Finn left and right. How the heck did he know all of these people? He stopped and talked to only a few people, introducing her to those people as he did. Rachel smiled and shook hands, nodding here and there when appropriate. She really didn't know what to say half the time.

It wasn't until a group of girls approached Finn did she feel very awkward. They giggled and laughed, most of them taller than her, most of them not even glancing in her direction. Not even when he introduced her. She took a large sip of her drink. Forget drinking this slowly. Maybe if she were drunk, she would loosen up a bit.

When they walked away, Rachel looked up at him as the red cup touched her lips, another large swig burning her throat as she swallowed. "Mr. Popular" Rachel said loudly over the music. "Plus what was with those girls who dress like they work the pole or the corner all weekend? Can you say rude?" She said as she took another gulp.

Finn's eyebrows rose as he leaned into her. "Relax, Rach." He said into her ear, his free hand resting slightly on her waist. Rach. He never called her that until now and boy did it have a calming effect on her. It was the sweetest sound she ever heard.

Rachel looked up at him when he rose back up to his standing height. She would try, but it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur. She remembered talking to random people, making them laugh even, looking around aimlessly for Finn and somehow ending up in a quiet small room, lying atop a tiny bed, sheets messed up and all.

"Where am I?" She said groggily.

When there was no answer, she shot up, looking around, extremely worried. "Where's my phone?" She asked aloud to nobody in particular. "Finn?" She then called out. When she found her phone on the desk across the room, she hurriedly dialed his number, not even choosing to acknowledge that her fathers and Austin had tried calling her numerous times. Just then she heard a loud vibration coming from across the room. She stumbled over, seeing her name on the screen. "Fuck." She muttered.

"Hey, don't swear miss." She suddenly heard. She twirled herself around so quickly she almost lost balance.

"Where am I? Where were you? Finn what the…"

"Rachel, calm down." He said with a smile, approaching her slowly. Or what she thought was slowly. He smelled fresh, like he'd just taken a shower. She took a step back only to realize he wasn't in what he had on earlier; but pajamas.

"I'm confused."

"I know, I know." He said calmly. "It's okay though. You're just in my dorm. Take a breather and look around for a minute."

"Your dorm? How did we get back here?" She said as she looked around. He was right.

"Well you were just everywhere at that party, and you were very talkative to anyone and everyone, so I kind of lost track of you for a few minutes but when I did find you, you were sort of….you passed out on the couch, and I didn't know what to do or who to call so I just….brought you back here."

"I did?" Her eyes widened. She could still feel the alcohol in her system. "Oh goodness, how embarrassing. I'm so sorry, Finn. Honest, I-Oh goodness that's so terrifying! What if you weren't around for longer and something happened to me! I could've been like, kidnapped or taken advantage of. Oh gosh…" She said as she covered her eyes in her hands.

"It's okay. Of course I found you; I wouldn't have left your side for long, Rachel. I mean yeah, I saw you were having a good time and all but that doesn't mean I was going to just leave you with random people." Finn said with a light chuckle. "Besides, if I said I was disappointed that you were in my dorm room right now, I'd be lying."

Rachel stopped and looked at him. "I should go."

"What, why?" Finn questioned. "It's almost two thirty in the morning. Besides, would your royal New York majesties really like it if you showed back up at this time? They'd freak out."

Rachel contemplated what he said. He was right. Her dads would scold her in ways she didn't even know were possible if she arrived home at this time.

"What am I even supposed to say? I mean, I told them I was going out with Austin but they probably assumed I'd be home!" She said loudly. She still felt woozy. She brought her hand up to her forehead, her foggy mind thinking that would help somehow.

Finn shrugged. "I don't know, make something up. They won't even care if you're with that pretty boy. I guarantee it."

"I forgot about him though." She said quietly, shaking her head to try to get the fogginess to disappear.

"Well, then I'm making progress." Finn said coyly.

Rachel walked back over to Finn's bed, stumbling onto it. She didn't even realize she was no longer in her jeans and shirt, but rather shorts that were two sizes too big for her and a tank top.

"Oh my goodness. Did you see me undressed?"

Finn shrugged. "I just slipped these shorts on you to make you more comfortable. Don't worry; there was a sheet over your…you know. And no, I didn't take advantage in any sort of way. Besides, you were half way out of your black out state at that point. At least I could get you to mumble or grunt or whatever it is you were doing to acknowledge that you heard me."

Rachel smiled at him as he sat up on the edge of the bed. She didn't remember any of that, but she was glad he wasn't the type to take advantage of her. "Why are you taking such good care of me?" She blurted out, her own partially drunken words coming out like lava. She had no control.

Finn shrugged. "I invited you."

"What's the real reason?" She asked. She was pressing the issue.

Finn looked at her, his eyes looking directly into hers. "I like you."

"You like me?"

"Well yeah. I mean besides how you like, can't stand me swearing even though you're an adult and stuff, you're super cool and…." His words drifted off.

"Because there are better words you can use without sounding like trash." Rachel said with a shrug.

Finn smiled. "It doesn't make me sound like trash."

"Unintelligent, how about that?" Rachel said.

"Okay fine. That's beside the point right now anyways." Finn replied.

"True." Rachel said as silence fell on them. "What were you going to say though, when you didn't finish your sentence?"

Finn shrugged.

"Come on tell me!" Rachel pressed. "Come on, please?"

Finn shrugged. "And nothing, I just like you. A lot."

"A lot?"

"Y-yeah. I didn't want to tell you with you like….like this. Drunk and stuff but…."

"I'm not that drunk." Rachel replied with a reassuring tone as she looked intently at him. "I promise. You can even ask me in the morning, I'll remember it. Swear to God."

Finn laughed lightly. It was a laugh Rachel never heard before. It was almost…nervous sounding. She had heard him nervous before, but not like this. Slightly drunk or not, she knew he was fidgeting around. Her vision was clear enough to see that much.

"I like you too." Rachel whispered shyly, catching Finn off guard.

"Y-yeah?" He asked, that grin forming on his face that Rachel loved.

"Y-yeah." Rachel mimicked back, stammer and all. "I mean, I always thought maybe you'd have been able to tell anyway. I have for a while…" Rachel added quietly.

"Well, I'm glad we're in the same boat with that…" Finn said with a smile. "But what about that pretty boy douche of a boyfriend you have then?" Finn asked then curiously.

Rachel let out a sigh. "Do you really want to know what's going on there?"

"Yeah, that'd help me out, Rach." Finn said.

"Well, let me start from the beginning. Okay?"

Finn nodded as she began. "We started dating my junior year of high school. It was all everyone talked about, everyone around both of us was so thrilled. And at the time, I really did like him. How could I not? My father's praised him at every shot they got, so you can imagine how wonderful it must've been for them to go around saying 'My daughter and her boyfriend Austin Reynolds.' You'd be surprised at how much a name means to these people. Anyway, it was great until we graduated. After that, it sort of went downhill but we agreed, for the sake of everyone around us, to just keep that part a secret. And with me going into musical theater, well, let's just say I can play a part." She stopped only to make sure he was still listening. When he nodded again, she continued. "So for these past five-ish months, we've been doing just that. Acting. There's nothing physical, unless it's in public. There's no 'I love you's' or 'you're beautiful's.' There's just nothing. And it kind of hurts, I won't deny that. But it's not so much because it's him but because I miss that intimate sort of relationship. You know, I'm not the prettiest but it'd be so nice for once to just hear someone call me pretty, or beautiful, or something. I want someone who actually wants to hold my hand in public, not for the act, but because they want to be like 'yeah that is my girlfriend.' Maybe I'm a total sap, a total hopeless romantic but I'm a girl, and I know I'm not the only one."

Rachel took a deep breath before looking back at him, and to her surprise he leaned right into her, his lips touching hers as he gave her the lightest of kisses. Rachel's eyes instantly shot closed, but she was too late as he pulled away slowly, his large hand resting on the back of her neck.

Rachel giggled as she covered her face, her head instantly falling back to hit his pillow. "Oh goodness…" When she looked back up towards him, she found him still looking at her. "What?" she asked, a feeling of shyness coming over her.

Finn shrugged before standing.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she looked over at him.

Finn looked back at her as both his large hands fell to either side of her face, resting on the bed, his broad body hovering over her, his face just inches from her. "I'll be back very soon."

"Where are you going?" She repeated, panic rising in her voice. "Don't leave me here alone." She whimpered.

"You're not going to be alone. I just need to make a quick phone call, okay?"

"You can't do it here?"

Finn shook his head. "It's just to make sure my roommate is okay."

"Finn…"

"Rachel." He repeated. "Relax, you're safe here. I wouldn't lie to you. Look, your phone is right here, right under the pillow." He said quietly as he placed it from the side table to under the pillow like he said. "If you really need me, you know how to get a hold of me. But I promise I'll be back before that happens."

She nodded as his eyes blazed themselves into hers. He kissed her forehead gently before picking himself up.

"And Rachel?" He asked, his hand on the doorknob just inches from the bed.

She glanced over at him, a wave of tiredness flowing over her once more. She knew she wasn't going to last.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life."

Rachel's heart swelled as he closed the door gently, her eyes closing almost instantaneously as she fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry I've been lacking on writing lately, I've been busy. I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday! I am going on vacation starting tomorrow, and I'm not bringing my laptop along, so I won't post probably for another week, but we will see. All grammar errors are mine. Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated:)**

* * *

Rachel woke up as her eyes adjusted to the foreign environment around her. 'Oh my goodness, I'm in Finn Hudson's dorm room.' The thought alone startled her wide awake as she sat up. She glanced over at the clock on his desk. It was almost eleven in the morning. She grabbed her phone from underneath the pillow, realizing she had a few more missed calls from her father's. She quickly stood up, stopping in her tracks as she almost hit Finn square in the face with her feet. He slept on the floor. She turned around and looked up, a guy she never saw before in the bunk bed above Finn's. He was still sound asleep, his snoring loud and deep.

She opened and closed the dorm door quietly as she dialed her papa's number.

"Rachel, thank heavens. We were worried sick. Where the hell have you been?" Hiram said without even saying hello.

"Hi." Rachel said quietly. "I'm fine. I stayed at Austin's."

"Austin? Don't you dare lie to me young lady."

"I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No." She said. She was getting really good at this acting.

"I want you home immediately young lady."

"Why papa?"

"Because it's funny you say you were with Austin when we've gotten hold of him and he also had no clue where you ran off to. This isn't a small town Rachel, this is New York City!"

"Papa I-"

"You have a half hour. If you're not home by then, you will pay the consequences." And just like that he hung up on her.

Rachel stared in disbelief at her phone. Her papa never acted that way towards her. Terrified, she quickly ran back into Finn's room.

"Finn. Finn!" She said quietly, kneeling down beside him. "Finn, get up please." She nudged him gently, hearing him grunt lightly. "Finn…"

"Get the fuck up dude!" Rachel heard from the bed above Finn's.

"Shut up!" Finn groaned out as he softly opened his eyes.

"Who is that anyway?" The guy asked. "And I'm so fucking hungover, so make it quick, see what she wants and blah blah blah so I can go back to bed."

"That's Rachel." He said. "And I'm sure she finds you rather charming after your pleasant tone just now. Way to make a really good first impression, dude." Finn added, his voice cracking slightly, the tiredness still in his voice.

"Wait, Rachel? That rich girl who sits next to you in that one class of yours? No shit dude!" He said, sitting up.

Meanwhile, Finn ignored whatever his roommate was babbling about as his eyes drifted over to Rachel. He blinked a few times as his vision cleared. Rachel smiled at the sight, as he smiled right back at her. "You're so pretty in the morning." He whispered.

"Well thanks." Rachel said pleasantly. "But Finn, I really really have to go home. Like right now."

"What? Why?" He asked curiously.

Rachel held up her phone. "I just had a charming conversation with my papa, that's why."

Finn looked confused for a minute before sitting up. "Uh…oh. Oh. Not good." He brought his hands up to his face, rubbing his face gently before his hands fell to his lap.

"Not really. What am I supposed to tell them? I can't tell them I stayed here, and I have absolutely no friends that they know of that stays in dorms here." Rachel's voice rose. She was in for it; and she knew it.

Finn was silent for a minute as he ran his hand through his hair. "Just say uh….say you were with Quinn."

"Who is that?"

"It's Puck's girlfriend. Puck…." He pointed up towards his roommate. "That charmer right there."

"Delighted" Puck muttered, his eyes closed once more.

"Hi." Rachel said shyly. "Though he apparently seems to already know about me."

Finn looked at her before flashing a shy side grin. "Yeah…" He said quietly. "Just say that you two have a class together, make it up and say you ended up staying there." Finn then added, his voice light as if it were the best plan he ever came up with.

Rachel shrugged. It was good enough for her, and it was definitely worth a shot.

* * *

"Thank you for riding with me, you really didn't have to." Rachel said as the cab stopped outside of her penthouse. She hardly ever rode in cabs, and usually the idea frightened her, but with Finn, she was fine. Everything was fine when she was with him.

"I wanted to." He said lightly as he paid the cab driver, stepping outside with her. Rachel saw him look up as far as the building went. "Wow." He muttered.

Rachel nodded. "Well I should probably get inside. I had a half hour, and I'm pretty close to that mark."

"Blame traffic." Finn said.

"Finn, I feel awful for lying." She said quietly.

"It'll be okay. It's nothing serious. I mean, I don't suggest it but if it's what saves you from being locked up in that fancy place for the next thirty years."

Rachel sighed as he embraced her. "Just let me know how it goes." Finn said softly, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay" she said as she looked up into his eyes. "And thank you, really. For everything."

Finn nodded as she headed towards the door, the doorman opening the door.

"Miss Berry" The doorman said as she greeted him. Finn smiled and turned around, ready to hail another cab.

* * *

She walked into the door slowly, afraid of the wrath that was about to come towards her. When she entered the living room, she stopped. Her dad, papa, and even Austin were sitting there.

"Rachel!" They exclaimed, Austin standing up to approach her. He hugged her tightly and looked down at her. "I was so worried about you. Where have you been?"

Rachel sighed as he let go, looking towards her dad and papa. "I-I wasn't at Austin's…apparently."

"Obviously" her dad said sternly. "Explain yourself young lady."

"I was just at school. Well, in the….in the dorms. I was with Quinn, s-she is a girl in my…" She paused. Get it together Rachel. Act. She took a deep breath as her acting instinct took over. "She is in my music class. We had to compose a piece and we worked on it pretty late and I accidentally ended up falling asleep. I apologize. I meant to call last night, but I lost track of time." She looked around. She couldn't tell if their faces were convinced or not.

"And who is this Quinn girl? Where does she come from?"

Rachel shrugged. "I told you dad, she is in my music class. I don't actually know where she's from, it never came up. I can find out if you'd like."

"I would." Her father said suspiciously.

Rachel looked around, not only at the people sitting before her but the room. It suddenly bothered her, not just because she was in the wrong and knew it, but because why does it matter where a person comes from in this world? Why did they need to know so badly, as if her coming from somewhere else than the Upper East Side would automatically make her a bad person? Rachel didn't know her, but she was probably nice. Rachel thought then of Finn. He was one of the kindest people she's ever met so far throughout her life, and he came from somewhere she never even heard of until he told her. A person is not where they come from or what money they have. A person is who they are, inside. It bothered her that sometimes the people she loved most in this life seem to be more into superficial things. It bothered her that sadly even she was like that at times. "I really am sorry. It won't happen again." She said simply, her mind falling back to the reality in front of her.

Her father looked towards her papa and then back to her. "This is only the first offense, so we'll let it slide this time. But next time, if it ever happens again, you won't be so lucky. Got it?"

Rachel sighed in relief. "Yes, I understand. Thank you! Thank you so much." She said as she walked over to embrace each of them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to shower and make myself look presentable."

She headed towards her room, closing the door behind her. She let out a loud sigh as she leaned against the door, grabbing her phone out of her pocket. She smiled as she typed out that everything was fine to Finn, adding in that she needed to know where Quinn was from.

As she waited patiently for his reply, she heard a knock at her door, Austin opening it without her permission.

"Where'd you come up with that lie, babe?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel lied as she turned towards him, her phone behind her back.

"Yeah right, Rach. You weren't with that girl you said out there, I'm not stupid. You were with that guy who sits next to you in poli sci."

"I was not." Rachel said sternly, crossing her arms, her phone vibrating in her hand as she held it tightly. She didn't like it when Austin called her Rach anymore, especially after she melted when Finn called her that just the night before.

Austin looked at her doubtfully.

Rachel sighed. "I wasn't, Austin. Please stop interrogating me."

Austin smiled. "I'm not interrogating you, I just know the truth. Besides, you're awfully defensive."

"Yeah well...you apparently have no idea what the truth is, Austin." She said angrily.

"Come on Rach. That guy…what's his name, he's totally into you."

"He's not. And if he is, I've yet to notice."

"Bullshit."

"Don't swear, Austin." Rachel sighed.

"Well…." Austin shrugged. "And I can tell you feel the same about him. But it's okay, your secret is safe with me."

"Austin I'm not…."

"Have a pleasant shower dear. I'll see you when you're presentable." He said as he put air quotes around the word presentable.

"Austin!" She yelled out, as he closed the door behind him. She let out a frustrated cry, and headed towards the bathroom off of her room. This was going to be hard, and she knew it. One wrong move, and Austin would let their little 'secret' out. She wasn't a fool, he would be using it as blackmail.

Rachel turned on the shower water and quickly walked back out to grab her phone. There was no way she was leaving that out for anybody to see. She glanced down at the text from Finn. "Good :)" it read. There was a second. "I have to work in a few hours, but maybe I could see you after? Is it pathetic of me to say I kind of miss you?"

Rachel smiled as she typed out a quick reply before stripping down to get in the shower.

* * *

Finn had just dropped off food to a family at a booth that he was waiting on. They thanked him and he asked the usual 'do you need anything else' thing before walking away. He stopped at the sight of the person who had just walked in the door. What the hell was he doing here?

"Oh hey. Just the dude I was looking for." Austin said as he walked towards Finn.

"Can I help you?" Finn said. What the hell was with this guy?

"No, not really. I just have a quick question. You wouldn't happen to know where Rachel really was last night did you?"

Finn shrugged. "Why would I know something about that? Can't keep tabs on your own girlfriend?" Finn asked. "Or better yet, you don't trust what she says?"

"I just know when she's lying." Austin said simply.

"I don't see what this has to do with me." Finn said as he tried to walk away.

"Because she was with you."

"You're paranoid." Finn said simply.

"I don't really think that's the case."

"Dude, look around. You're at an Italian restaurant downtown questioning me about the whereabouts of your girlfriend because you happen to think she's lying to you or something? That's crazy. Besides, she doesn't seem like the untrustworthy type."

"Yeah, but you hardly even know her." Austin said.

Finn shrugged. "I guess you're right. But hey, thanks for stopping in. I've got a lot of work to do." With that, he walked around Austin.

"I know you're into her!" Austin called out from behind him.

Finn stopped and turned. "Well, you're a genius aren't you, Austin?" He said.

"I told you to back off!" Austin said angrily.

Finn smiled at him. "And I did. But the heart wants what it wants….or something like that." Finn said with a shrug.

"So you were with her?"

Finn just looked at him smiled. "Have a good night, Austin." He said before walking off. When he was back in the kitchen he grabbed his phone out and saw an unread text from Rachel. "You've never seen that movie? You really should, it's amazing."

Finn smiled. "I will sometime Rach. But hey, you'll never guess who I just ran into…his name starts with an A and ends with ustin." He typed sarcastically. "Don't worry, he doesn't know we were together but he's paranoid as hell. Explain to me why you can't just officially end things with him?"

He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket before returning out to do his job. That was probably not the smartest of things to text her, but it was true. It sort of bothered him that she hadn't done anything about that douche yet. Especially if what she told him was true; and that she really had been into him for a while now. He mentally shook it off; he would deal with it later. Besides, he wasn't over the fact that Austin had actually come in just to confront him about that. He almost found it humorous. Never in his life would he even think about doing something like that. There were some strange people in New York, that was for sure.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while! I had no way to get on my laptop, my charger broke and I had to wait for a new one to come in. Not only that but vacation, and New Years, etc. School doesn't start for me until the 14****th**** but I have to get ready for it, so this story will either go on a hiatus or it won't be updated as often as all these chapters were. All grammar errors are mine! Enjoy.**

* * *

"Tell me what happened?" Rachel said later that night as soon as she saw Finn's name light up on her phone screen. She had been waiting for him to get off work impatiently ever since he sent her that text about seeing Austin.

"Nothing really. I found it kind of funny anyway. He just came in asking if I knew where you were last night."

"Did you say you did?"

"No, Rach."

"Oh good." Rachel said with a sigh of relief.

"I asked why he didn't trust you and stuff like that. I also called him paranoid and told him he was crazy for showing up. Not exactly manly shit if you ask me. It sort of reminded me of like two thirteen year old girls being all catty and shit."

"Language"

"Rachel, you've heard it before. Relax."

Rachel sighed. "He kind of has a reason to be."

"I guess." Finn said into the receiver. "But if you would just officially dump his sorry ass he wouldn't be like that."

"Finn, it's not that easy."

"Oh, it's not?" Finn repeated. "You two technically aren't even dating anyway! Why is he acting like you're his property and shit? That's fucked up."

"Swear again, and I'll hang this phone up." Rachel said sternly.

"Rachel…seriously?"

"Seriously"

"Okay, I'm sorry. But come on, what is the worse that could happen if you officially cut things off with him? We could actually be together?"

"I said it's not that easy… a lot could happen." Rachel explained.

"Probably not." Finn contradicted. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"You don't know how it works." Rachel said quietly. She looked around at her large room as she lied on the bed.

"Maybe not, Rachel. But I can tell you one thing. This really isn't how things work either."

"Finn…I promise I'll do something about it. You just have to be patient. Can you please be patient…for me?" Rachel asked hopefully.

There was silence. She could hear him sigh. "Yeah." He said quietly.

Rachel smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah." Finn said once more. She could tell he wasn't happy.

"It'll be soon." Rachel said to enlighten the mood.

"That'd be nice." Finn replied sarcastically.

There was a moment of silence before Rachel spoke quietly. "Are you mad?" She said gently.

"No, I'm not mad Rach."

"Oh good…" Rachel said before changing the subject. They spoke on the phone for just a few minutes more before Rachel decided to call it an evening.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will." Finn replied back.

"Good. Goodnight, Finn." She said with a smile on her face before he replied and she hung up the phone. Now, if only she could think of a solid explanation as to why she was officially ending things with Austin without him using Finn against her as blackmail. She was too tired to think about it.

* * *

She didn't see Finn the next day. He didn't show up for class, and when she tried to call him afterwards, there was no reply. That was not the slightest comforting to say the least; she almost felt uneasy about it. She knew about Austin and Finn's interaction despite the fact that Austin was completely clueless to that piece of information. However, Austin was in class. And Austin wasn't dangerous; he wouldn't have done anything like that anyway.

Just then her phone began to vibrate. She answered it quickly, without even reading the screen.

"Hey! "I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning!" She said quickly.

"What?" Austin's voice replied.

"Wait, what?" Rachel repeated. "Oh Austin!" She said shaking her head. "How silly of me."

"Rachel?"

"Mhm" Rachel replied as she walked across campus towards the theater building. She was meeting up with Kurt to discuss the final parts of their project, the actual performing part of it that was.

"Would you like to meet up for lunch? You ran out of class before I could even catch up with you. We've got a lot to discuss, especially with the holidays coming up. I do believe we have a lot of events to attend to and I wanted to run them by with you."

"Oh, that'd be lovely except I'm working on my project with Kurt between our classes. It's due next week, and I'm not exactly sure if we've been on top of things so far this semester, so we really need to start taking this seriously." Rachel replied.

There was silence.

"Austin?"

"Yeah. Yeah, alright." He said.

"Okay…" Rachel said awkwardly. "But I'll call you later, we can set something up."

"Alright, Rachel." Austin said with a huff. Was he annoyed with her?

"Okay, bye." Rachel said simply before hanging up. What has gotten into him? Maybe Finn was right, maybe despite their relationship sort of only being for publicity due to their parents, maybe there was something more there from Austin's side of it than Rachel had known. And for some reason; knowing that bothered her. She almost felt torn, and that made her feel instantly guilty, as if she were betraying Finn every time she questioned things with her and Austin or her and Finn. Needless to say, she was confused. But now wasn't the time to worry about her personal life, she had to focus. She had to become Elphaba. She had to do well on this performance, especially so she could show the theater department at NYU what Rachel Berry was all about.

* * *

When Rachel walked into the theater room, she gasped. There was more than just Kurt in the room, and she looked around at the set that was coming together wonderfully. There had to have been close to ten other people on the stage. How on Earth did he do all of this without even telling her? How were they going to get it all together, knowing that they couldn't just leave it all there since there were many other performances than just theirs?

She began to laugh as she covered her mouth. "Kurt, oh my gosh….How did you…" she stopped as she saw the tall man emerge from behind what looked to be a tree.

There eyes met as she started to run down to the stage, Finn dropping his paint brush as she jumped directly into his arms. She laughed as she buried her head into his shoulder. "Did you do all of this alone?" She said, astounded as she looked around when he set her down.

Finn shrugged. "Not all of it. Kurt had been telling me the idea, and he was helping me a little earlier before he took a quick break. Everyone else has been helping out here and there, but I think their focused on other things. What do you think?" He said, retrieving the paintbrush once more.

"It's amazing! But I feel like I should've been helping. You skipped class for this? But I tried to call you. I thought you were just angry with me." Rachel said.

Finn turned his head and looked at her. "I'm not. I was just helping out my stepbrother and my…." He paused.

Rachel blushed as she looked down at her feet.

"Who are you again?" Finn then asked jokingly.

Rachel smiled and rolled her eyes as she giggled lightly. "Tell me where you're going to store all of this?"

"Oh we rented a little space. I guess you can do that for large props. The rest we're just going to take with us. You can help with that, make yourself useful somehow." Finn joked.

Rachel smiled and walked up to him, standing up on her tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "You're wonderful." She whispered just as she turned to hear Kurt approaching.

"Rachel!" Kurt said happily. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing!" Rachel said.

"I knew you would think so. I mean these were some of your ideas as well."

Rachel nodded.

"There's just one more thing." Kurt said as she looked down at the rope and things in his hand.

"What's all of that for?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Well you know how we're finishing it with you singing Defying Gravity…well what if we lifted you up. You know, like in the real thing." Kurt said simply.

Rachel's eyes widened. "Kurt that would be so…"

"No." Finn said abruptly.

The duo turned to face him.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"No" Finn said with a shrug.

"No what?"

"No don't lift her up." Finn said.

Rachel watched their interaction silently.

"And why the hell not?" Kurt asked. "Don't you realize how much that would impress our teacher? Our grade would be an instant A, and besides, it brings so much dramatic effect that we need."

"I don't care." Finn said simply. "She could get hurt."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Oh please, don't go all protective boyfriend on me. She will be fine."

Rachel looked at Kurt with her eyes wide. Boyfriend? She knew that's what she wanted, but it wasn't official. Not until she did what she said she was going to do, and get rid of Austin. Was she ready to get rid of Austin? Rachel stopped and shook her head, hoping the duo didn't notice. She wasn't going to let these questions run rampant through her mind again, not right now.

"I'm not going all protective boyfriend on you, dude. It's just a bad idea. Look at the shit in your hands, it says it all. I know Rachel is tiny as hell, but you still need stronger material. That and you need someone who knows that the hell they're doing when it comes to lifting people into the air. If Rachel fell from way up there…well she could easily hurt herself." Finn said.

"Finn, Kurt…." Rachel said. "Stop. I can at least try. That would be so cool anyway. Could you imagine?" She said happily to Kurt who smiled and nodded back.

"Rach, no." Finn said.

"Finn!" Rachel said loudly as she crossed her arms. "Do not tell me what to do."

"I'm not, I just think it's a bad idea."

"And you've made that point very clear." Rachel said sternly. "But I want to try it."

"Rach…"

"Finn." Rachel said sternly once more, her eyes widened as her eyebrows rose. She wasn't messing around.

"Okay, alright, fine. But when you fall, don't come crying to me." Finn said before turning back to his painting.

"He just doesn't understand the arts." Kurt whispered, a tiny laugh escaping Rachel's mouth. Kurt and Rachel then walked towards the other foreign faces as Kurt introduced Rachel to them. They would all begin working on the lift together.

From the door of the top of the theater, Austin heard the entire conversation as the three bickered lightly; his anger towards that Finn guy at a maximum, even though it pleased him as he watched as Rachel got annoyed with him. Austin knew Rachel had always wanted to be a star, and it amused him that Finn was trying to stop that; especially since nothing was ever to over the top for Rachel, or her family. There was no way she could be into him. He took a seat at the very top of the theater, where he knew he wouldn't be seen. He may have been angry, but this was a show to him nonetheless.

* * *

"Okay, are you ready?" Kurt asked Rachel about a half hour later.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, but I'm kind of nervous…"

"Don't be nervous! Besides, you want to be a star. Idina Menzel was a star, and she wasn't afraid of this."

"You don't know that." Rachel said with a chuckle. "She could've been terrified every single time."

"Regardless, she still did it."

Rachel nodded. "You're right. Let's do this."

She got into the seat that Kurt and Finn had made, Finn doing it with much reluctance the entire time as he kept muttering things like it wasn't strong enough, and she was going to fall and hurt herself. She shot a glance towards Finn, as he instantly fell silent.

"Whatever dude. When you fall, all I'm going to say is 'I told you so.' Finn said finally louder, looking into Rachel's eyes.

"Alright, dude." Rachel spat back before smiling cautiously.

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked her as he held on to one side of the rope.

Rachel nodded. "So ready."

"Okay then." Kurt said as he yelled over to the others.

"You guys ready to help?"

Rachel closed her eyes and on the count of three they began lifting her. Rachel didn't open her eyes as she went up higher and higher.

"Kurt how far…?"

"Just a little bit more. Open your eyes and look it's got to look awesome from up there!" Kurt yelled up to her.

Just as Rachel went to open her eyes, she shut them closed just as instantly before feeling a hard blow as she fell straight onto the stage.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the super long delay! I told you this story was on hiatus though...and it might still be, but I at least got this up! I hope it's as good as the previous chapters, and that you all enjoy it. Glee is not mine, but all grammar errors are. There's probably only going to be a few more chapters of this story, but we'll see where it goes. Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated! :)**

* * *

Finn knew this was going to happen. He watched as Rachel fell hard onto the stage floor, a loud cry of pain escaping her mouth as it happened. He dropped everything he was doing and ran up to her.

"Rachel!" He yelled as he approached her, realizing he wasn't alone. A simultaneous yell came from the theater seats. He glanced up from her, her eyes closed as she cried in pain, and groaned himself. Of course he would be here.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Finn yelled.

"I came to see what _my _girlfriend was up to." Austin replied angrily. "Apparently it's a good thing I did too."

"_Yours?" _Finn spat back.

"You guys!" Rachel yelled as she cried out in pain. "Can you guys help me please? Please?"

Finn; choosing to ignore Austin and his presence looked down at her ankle, gently reaching for her shoe to remove it. "Ouch!" She said as her eyes flew open. "Don't touch that!"

"Sorry, sorry." Finn said, looking worriedly at her. "I was just trying to take off your shoe, in case it was swelling."

"Don't. I'll do it." Austin then said, his hand heading towards her foot.

"No!" Rachel yelled. "I said _don't._" she said through her tears. "What the hell are you even doing here?" she shrieked.

"I just wanted to see you and…"

"How long have you been here?" Rachel replied. Finn fell silent and looked over at Kurt who silently watched the whole thing. He could tell that Kurt was feeling downright guilty, but he didn't have a reason to. He would deal with that later.

"A while" Austin replied calmly back.

"You were spying on me?" Rachel yelled.

"No…." Austin said even quieter. "Like I just said…"

Rachel let out a loud huff. "Can we please just get me to my house or somewhere close so I can take care of this thing? A hospital?" Rachel then yelled, cutting him off.

"I got you." Finn then said as he wrapped his arm around the back of her torso. "Just wrap your hands around my neck, I've got you."

"I can do that." Austin interjected.

"I have her." Finn said simply as Rachel did as she was told.

"Back off." Austin said.

"No." Finn replied. "I'm bigger than you, and I know she doesn't weigh anything but don't you think it's best if I carry her so she doesn't fall again?" He added sarcastically, a smirk appearing on his face.

"Can you both, please just…stop!" Rachel yelled. "You both are making me so eff-" she mumbled under her breath as her voice trailed off.

"Do you want me to take you if they're both being idiots?" Kurt then interjected. "I am so sorry, this is my fault. I thought it would be a good idea when it clearly wasn't."

"It's okay." Rachel said simply as Finn lifted her up, standing on his feet as swift as a person would without holding anything. Rachel felt like picking up a feather, that's how light she was to him. Girl needed to eat more, or something. Or not. She was perfect the way she was. "It just hurts so damn BAD!" Rachel then cried out as she closed her eyes tightly again, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"Who's got the language now, miss?" Finn said quietly with a smile as Rachel opened her eyes again.

"Shut up" she muttered with a small smile.

"Where are you taking her?" She heard Austin yell from behind him.

"Where do you think, dude?" Finn spat back. "My dorm is the closest place. She can't even walk on it."

"Like you even tried that." Austin snapped back.

"I'm pretty sure you can just tell." Finn said with a roll of his eyes as Austin caught up to them.

"Both of you, seriously." Rachel said, annoyed. "Is Kurt coming? He really doesn't have to."

"He's right behind us." Finn said simply without looking down at her as they all exited the building.

"Wait. Stop. Stop!" Rachel then yelled as everyone stopped in their place just outside the theater, the sunlight shining down on all of them, the crisp fall wind blowing lightly.

"What is it?" Finn asked, suddenly confused.

"Can you just take me?" She asked quietly, looking up at Finn. Her brown eyes were big, despite them being a little puffy from her tears.

"What?" Austin said, moving around Finn so that he was in her sight. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I do not want you to go." Rachel then said, sounding angry. "You two have done nothing but make me angry with you're stupid arguing over me, so I just want Finn to take me. And Kurt, please don't feel bad. It was nothing but an accident. Just tell them why I won't be in theater will you please?"

"I can do that" Kurt said as he nodded. "I am so so sorry, Rachel."

"It's fine, I promise." She said, giving Kurt a polite smile.

"I'll get everything you need for your homework too, alright?" Kurt said.

"Thank you" Rachel added. "That would be lovely."

"See you guys. Finn, keep me updated!" He said as he walked away. Austin however, wouldn't move.

"I'm going with you." Austin said sternly.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously? Why do you make everything so damn difficult?"

"I'm not. She is my girlfriend. I should be responsible and take her."

"Can you let me down?" Rachel then asked questionably, out of nowhere as she ignored Austin.

"Rachel you can't even walk on it." Finn replied, looking down at the tiny body he was holding.

"We never tried. Put me down. Now." She instructed once more as Finn did what he was told.

"Ouch ouch ouch!" Rachel whimpered, as she stood slowly upright, lifting her hurt foot up quickly as she stood on her good foot, putting her hands on Finn's arm to steady herself.

"Look Austin. I'm okay, see?" She lied, looking up at him. Time to put on a good act.

"Bullshit." Austin spat out, looking down at her foot.

"I really am. There's no need to make a huge scene here or at the hospital like I'm dying. I am perfectly fine, it's probably just sprained. It happens to people every day." She said calmly.

"Rachel…"

"Austin!" Rachel suddenly yelled, people passing by turning to look at her curiously before they resumed walking to their destinations. Finn, taken by surprise just stared at the scene about to unfold. "I do not want you to come with me. I don't know how many times I have to tell you this. You're not my boyfriend, you're my pretend boyfriend, don't act as if you've forgotten about that just because Finn is here."

"Rach…"

"No, let me finish. I've had it. I know you went to Finn's work to interrogate him like some…some crazy person, and I know you've been threatening him for some time now to back off, and guess what? I don't want him to do that, and I know you know it. You're not an idiot, Austin, so don't play the part. You and I were strictly for the public, don't you recall?" Rachel asked, her voice calming to the point where if it were Finn she was talking to, he might be a little afraid.

"I haven't…"

"Don't lie to me. Sure, I thought this fake act was cool the past few months only because I didn't want to upset my dad's but guess what? I'm sure they won't give a damn who I'm dating and if they do, then that's their problem. I'm not going to pretend for media, for events, for whatever, that I am dating someone like you any further. I've had it; this has gone on for too long. This is it. I'm sorry Austin, but we're no longer dating, or pretend dating either. Now can you please just back the hell off so I can just go get some damn medication and stuff for my ankle so I can just get on with my life?" Rachel shrieked towards the end of her sentence, her voice rising in pitch.

"You seriously want this guy? This…this pig farmer?" Austin said as he let out an exasperated chuckle. "Fine, that's cool with me. You'll just regret it in a day or so anyway, especially when I could get any girl I want." Austin added.

Rachel let out a hysterical laugh as Finn looked back and forth between the two. Holy shit, this was something out of a dramatic movie if you asked him.

"Yeah, good luck with that!" Rachel yelled after him as Austin began to walk away frantically. "And I will have fun with him! Pigs and all!" Finn couldn't help but let out a little burst of laughter as he watched him walked away. It was like something was up his ass as he pretty much tried not to run away from the scene.

"Holy crap Louis…"

"Save it." Rachel said before looking up at him, a slow smile spreading onto her face. "And don't tell me about swearing, I'm sorry. It's the only way I could get the point across."

Finn looked down at her as he scooped her back up into his arms once more. "I wasn't going to say anything about it, Rach. It was kind of hot if you ask me."

Rachel rolled her eyes as Finn began to walk. "Did I do a good job at getting rid of him?"

Finn shrugged. "I guess so. But I feel like he's not gone just yet."

"That I knew." Rachel said as they headed towards Finn's dorm building. "I just don't care to worry about that. It's nothing I can't handle."

* * *

"Well, from the looks of it, I think it's just sprained. I mean, I'm not a doctor or anything, but this is what google says to do." Finn said as he inspected Rachel's foot. He managed to allow Rachel to let him take her shoe off, and he had grabbed ice from the student area in the lobby once he got her to lie down. Her foot was elevated above her body atop a stack of pillows as she lied on his bed. Playing with her phone, she ignored what Finn was saying and didn't acknowledge him.

"What're you doing?" Finn then asked.

"Oh, just texting Kurt. He's kind of keeping me updated in real time." Rachel said as she looked up.

"Well that's awfully nice of him." Finn replied back as he sat on the edge of the bed, near her foot.

"Shouldn't you be going to class too?" Rachel then asked, looking up at him curiously.

"No, I think they can go without me for today." Finn said, looking over at her, giving her a lopsided smile.

"Well thank you for all the care, you really didn't have to."

"I wanted to." Finn said politely.

There was silence for a few minutes, both of them with the same thing on their mind. It was only a matter of time before one spoke up over the other. "Hey Rach?" Finn asked, climbing up to sit on the bed next to her.

"Hmm?"

Finn looked at her curiously. "What do you think Austin is going to do?"

Rachel shrugged. "Be butt hurt over the situation that's for sure." Rachel was silent as she contemplated. "Probably run off and tell my dad's something that I'll have to deal with later on. It really isn't a big deal. What are they going to say to me? That I can't see people I want to see? That there's some arranged marriage with the kid I should know about? I doubt it."

"Yeah, but what if he…makes up a lie or something?"

She shrugged once more. "I sincerely believe he will do that, but if they take his word over their own daughters, well…that would be just shameful."

"And what if they don't like me?"

"They will." Rachel said as she put her tiny hand on the side of his face, her thumb caressing his cheek lightly.

"You don't know that. I mean, I'm not rich. I don't have anything to offer."

"Finn…it's not about that to me. And if they were cool like I think they'll be, they won't care either."

"You told me just the other day that I didn't understand, and that it wasn't that easy to just end things with Austin though…" Finn said, his arm wrapping around Rachel's shoulder as she cuddled closer to him without moving her right leg, the leg with the swollen foot.

"Well…" Rachel paused, looking for the right words. "That's true, and I can't deny that. But part of me thinks I was just scared. You know, I've been comfortable with what's been going on for a while, even when I first met you. But then the other night, I was seriously mentally debating with myself whether or not I should end it with Austin, and then that's when it hit me. I felt guilty for even thinking of staying with him just for silly reasons." Rachel explained. "Especially since I know for a fact that I don't want to be with him."

Finn smiled. "Well I'm just glad you decided to end it sooner rather than later."

Rachel laughed lightly. "Was that soon enough for you?"

"Oh yeah. It was unexpected, I'll tell you that."

"Well the idea of him spying on me wasn't very appealing if you ask me." Rachel said as she crinkled her nose. "Especially when we weren't even really dating, you know?"

"I think the guy had some feelings for you though, he just didn't want to admit it. Nor did he know it until I came into the picture."

Rachel shrugged. "Yeah well, I guess he should've thought of that before. I just hope my dad's don't throw a fit over this all."

Finn leaned over and gave the top of her head a gentle kiss. "Don't worry about it for now, Louis. Let's just get you semi better so I can get you home later without having to steal an elderly person's wheelchair or something."

Rachel laughed and looked up at him, leaning in to give him a soft but quick peck on the lips. "That won't be necessary." She whispered. "But I think…when you take me home, you should come up and see them, meet them, don't you think?"

Finn shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, I guess I would like to."

"Wonderful." Rachel said, her tone pleasant, knowing she got her way. However, the nervousness that built up in Finn's chest at the thought was anything but pleasant.


End file.
